Hospitals around the country are snapping up photography from one Michigan artist to help in their mission of healing.

Mickey Nagler, wife of world renown fine art photographer Monte Nagler of Farmington Hills, says they’ve sold thousands of Monte’s photos to facilities across the globe. Some are placed on the ceilings of rooms where they can be seen by patients receiving treatment.

“Art becomes a positive distraction for patients that are very apprehensive about a procedure,” Mickey Nagler told WWJ Newsradio 950’s Marie Osborne.

She said the art is shown to lower anxiety — and families benefit as well.

“And they need that benefit to be able to focus on something else and bring that anxiety down, so they can hear better what’s going on with the patient,” she said.

Mickey Nagler said art has been known to affect blood pressure, medication absorption, heart rate and even brain function.